Max Fried Leads New York Yankees In Game 1 Against the Houston Astros

Max Fried needed to have a good game tonight because the Yankees needed to prove they could beat good teams on the road. He did, as the Yankees won this game in hostile Houston, 7-1. Fried continued his recent spate of good starts, with his third good game in a row.

He pitched seven innings in this game and gave up only one run. That was important for the Yankees, who need him to pitch like an ace for this playoff run. The Yankees scored two runs in the second inning, and it was reasonable to think those were all the runs that Fried would need. Do you think the Yankees will be able to beat good teams in the playoffs?

Lineups For the Yanks As They Rely on Max Fried

The Astros had Jeremy Pena leading off and playing shortstop. Carlos Correa was the third baseman and batted second. Jose Altuve batted third and was the left fielder. Christian Walker batted fourth and was the first baseman. Yanier Diaz was the catcher and batted fifth. Cam Smith was the right fielder and batted seventh. Mauricio Dubon was the center fielder and batted eighth. Cesar Salazar was the catcher and batted ninth. 

For the Yankees, Paul Goldschmidt played first baseman and led off. Cody Bellinger was the right fielder and batted second. Aaron Judge was the designated hitter and batted third. Giancarlo Stanton was the left fielder and batted fourth. Jasson Dominguez replaced him in the seventh inning. Trent Grisham was the center fielder and batted fifth. Anthony Volpe was the shortstop and batted sixth.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. was the second baseman and batted seventh. Jose Caballero was the third baseman and batted eighth. Ryan McMahon came in to play third base for him in the fourth inning. Austin Wells was the catcher and batted ninth.

News and Notes

Bellinger was named American League player of the week. It was his first Major League Baseball honor with the New York Yankees. Before the game today, Chisholm Jr. called out the Toronto Blue Jays, saying the Yankees were going to catch them in the American League East Division. There is confidence for you. Coming into this game, the Yankees were 43-19 in games where they hit two home runs or more.

Game Reaction

Judge was booed when he came to bat in the first inning. That may have been the first time he was booed. He responded by hitting a 116 MPH single. In the fifth inning, in his third at-bat, he hit a 110 MPH single.

Stanton was playing left field in this game. This is the first time Stanton has played left field since 2023. That was useful because both he and Judge were in the Yankee batting order. Why left field? That is the easiest outfield position to play, and it is the shortest outfield run to the visitor’s dugout.

Astros Starting Pitcher Framber Valdez had six strikeouts in the first three innings. Caballero was ejected by home plate umpire Ramon De Jesus in the fourth inning.

Scoring Summary

In the second inning, Chisholm Jr. hit a two-run home run. Grisham also scored. The Yankees led 2-0. In the fifth inning, Grisham hit a grand slam. Goldschmidt, Bellinger, and Judge all scored. The Yankees led 6-0.

In the sixth inning, Diaz grounded out and Correa scored. It was 6-1 Yankees. In the eighth inning, Chisholm Jr. hit a solo home run. The Yankees led 7-1.

Conclusion

Fried seemed to lose control in the third inning, but it was a non-issue. Caballero getting ejected was not a problem for Fried because Ryan McMahon came in for him to play third base. Fried did not allow a hit through the first 4 innings and looked every bit of the ace the Yankees need him to be. The Yankees play two more games in Houston.